Dispenser for volatile liquids



April 1 1957 c:. L. GEBAUER 2,789,011

DISPENSER FOR VOLATILE'LIQUIDS Filed Dec. 2, 1954 Fish! INVENTOR.

0424m waw flrraelvs vs mow Pw 2,789,011 DISPENSER FOR VOLA'TILE LIQUIDS Charles L. Gebaner, Cleveland, Ohio, a'ssignor to The Gebauer Chemical Company, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporatiori of Ohio Application December 2 1954, Serial N01 472,667

4 Claims. (Cl.2 9995) This invention relates to dispensers forvolatile liquids, and particularly is concerned with small, hand size dispensers for liquids having low boiling points, such as ethyl chloride, or freons.

Heretofore there have been several types of dispenser units provided for dispensing liquids, such as ethyl chloride, and various types of such dispensers have been made and sold commercially in large quantities. However, it is an ever-present and continued problem topackage this type of liquid in containers where the container will prevent leakage of the volatile fluids therein and where the container can'be used infrequently over a long period of time to have a convenient, quick discharge of the material contained therein. These volatile materials will attack some types of gasket means used in the dispensers so that it is very desirable to keep, insofar as possible, the materials from contacting the gasket means present in the dispenser. U

Anotherproblem indispensing some liquids is that for some uses of the material it is desirable to have a liquid jet stream of material issue from the container Whereas in other uses of the container, or dispenser, it is desirable that the material be dispensed in the form of a more or less atomized cloud of vapor with liquid particles therein. It has been necessary in most instances heretofore to use two separate types of containers for the different discharge streams required for the different uses of the stored material. I p H Inasmuch as dispensers ofthe class referred to are made in large quantities, and sometimes may be subjected to rather severe handling anduse, it is desirable that the dispensers use a low cost but sturdy. container wherein the container can easily be filled with the desired liquid material. a p

The general object of the present invention is to avoid and overcome the foregoing and other disadvantages of present styles of dispensers of the class referred to, and to provide a novel container which is characterizedhy its ability to position a small bore dischargetube reversibly therein.

Another objector" the invention is to provide an outlet member for a dispenser of the class described wherein such an outlet member has an internal shoulder therein for sealing an end of adischarge tube thereon.

Anothei object of the invention is to providea dispenser which can be made from metal and which may have a metal discharge member providedtherefor where in. a gasket member can be completely confined in an adjustable portion of the discharge spout provided on the dispenser. p p V p A further object of theinvention is to provide a reversibly positioned discharge tube in a dispenserwherein the opposite ends of such discharge tube are of different diameters to produce diii'egenttypesof discharge from the container, dependent upon the diameter of the outlet Sndnf e-discha se' o e, v,

The foregoing and other obiects and advantages of the 2,789,01 I ime n ,1, a1

2 invention will be made'more' apparent as the specification proceeds. V V

For a better understanding of the invention, reference should be had to the accompanying drawings wherein one currently preferred embodiment of the principles of the invention is shown, and wherein:

Fig. l is an elevation of a dispenser of the invention;

Fig; 2 is an enlarged vertical section taken along the longitudinal axis of the discharge means of the dispenser of Fig. 1; and p i V Fig; 3 is a section like Fig. 2 of a further modification of the invention.

When referring to corresponding parts in the accompanying drawings and specification, corresponding numerals are used to facilitate comparison between the drawings and the specification.

The present invention in general relates to a dispenser for a volatile liquid wherein the dispenser comprises a container having a discharge spout extending therefrom, a closure sleeve having a tapped bore for engaging the disch'argespout and having a shoulder provided in the sleeve bore, a glass discharge tube, and resilient gasket means carried by the discharge tube intermediate the ends thereof, the discharge tube being removably positioned in the closure sleeve with one end of the tube protruding from the sleeve and with the gasket means being compressed intermediate the end of the discharge spout andthe said shoulder by the walls of the bore of the sleeve. Removable closure means for the discharge tube are carried by the closure sleeve.

With reference to the details of the structure shown in the drawings, a dispenser for volatile liquids is shown and is indicated as a whole by the numeral 3. The dis penser 1 includes a metal container 2 that is formed from suitable materials in a conventional manner. This container 2 has a discharge spout 3 protruding from an upper end thereof and with such discharge spout 3 usually comprising a separate tubular member welded, soldered, or otherwise secured to the top portion of the container 2'." Preferably the spent 3 has a reduced diameter thre aded section 4 provided on the end thereof terminating in'a shoulder 5 on such discharge spout. A closure sleeve 6, preferably formed from metal, and having a bore 7 therein'is removably engaged with the threaded se ctiond of the' discharge spout by means of a tapped counterbor'e 8 provided in the sleeve and terminating in an'internal shoulder 9 in the sleeve.

Liquid-inthe dispenser 1 is discharged therefrom by means of a discharge tube 11 formed from glass or other suitable material, such as the esters of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid, and, which as one feature of the inventionprefe rably has an outlet bore at one end thereof at about .008 to .010 thousandths' of an inch in diameter whereas the outlet diameter of the discharge tube it at the opposite end thereof is approximately .095 to .007 inch'in diameter. It will be seen, however, that theouter diameter of the discharge tube 1 is about the same at both endsthereof. This discharge tube is adapted to be reversibly positioned in the dispenser 1 of the inven tion' and a liquid contained in the dispenser, for example ethyl chloride, when passing from the smaller diameter bore end'of'the discharge tube 19 as shown in Fig. 1, when thecontainer is inverted, will issue therefrom as a liquid jet stream. However, when the discharge tube it) is reversed and the container 2 is inverted and heated or agitated so that the volatile material therein sets up a discharge pressure inthe container, iiquid passes from the dispenser in the form of a spray or atomic particle stream from the larger-end of the tube it). Of course, the container 2 should be cooled when-the discharge tube 10 is taken" out and reversed. The liquid jet stream" is used to provide a slower deeper cooling action, when ethyl chloride is the dispensed material, than the more rapid surface cooling or freezing action secured by use of a particle spray action.

Another important feature of the present invention resides in a sleeve-like gasket 11 carried by the discharge tube usually intermediate the ends thereof at about the center portion of the tube 10. Fig. 2 of the drawings best shows that the gasket 11 is completely enclosed by the walls of the bore 7 of the sleeve 6 and with the gasket 11 being confined by and compressed intermediate the shoulder 9 formed in the bore of the sleeve and the end of the discharge spout 3 of the container. Such con finement of the gasket 11 is adapted to compress the gasket tightly, inwardly, radially against the periphery of the tube 10 and prevent any possible seepage of the contained volatile fluid along the tube wall on the outer surface thereof.

Any desired type of a conventional sealing member may be provided for closing the discharge end of the tube 10, and a positioning bracket 12 is shown in threaded engagement with the end of the sleeve 6. This bracket 12 journals a lever 13 thereon. The lever 13 carries a closure pad 14 at one end thereof adapted to be urged against the exposed end of the tube 10 by a spring 15 compressed between the lever 13 and a portion of the bracket 12. Set screw 16 secures the bracket 12 in a given position.

Another important feature of the invention is that stop means are provided for limiting axial movement of the discharge tube 10 into the discharge spout 3. Thus, an axially outwardly directed shoulder 17 is provided in the discharge spout 3, and either end of the discharge tube 10 can be seated on such shoulder 17 to limit inward movement of the tube 10 by any pressure exerted thereon, such as that by the lever 13. Since the discharge spout 3 is separate from the container 2, such spout can readily be made with a bore therethrough and with the shoulder 17 therein.

A modified embodiment of the invention is shown in Fig. 3 and in this instance a container 2a is provided which has a discharge spout 3a thereon with the end of thedischarge spout 3a having a conical, recessed end provided thereon. Thus a discharge tube 10a, like the tube 10 of Figs. 1 and 2, may be provided and a gasket 11a is provided thereon. This gasket 11a has conically shaped or tapered end portions adapted to seat on complementary conical shaped surfaces provided on a shoulder 9a within the bore of the tube or sleeve 6a and the end of the discharge spout so that regardless of how the discharge tube 10a is positioned in the dispenser of the invention, the gasket is completely confined and is urged into tight engagement with the discharge tube 10a by the means engaging the closure sleeve 6a will not be completely in threaded engagement with the end of the discharge spout 3a when the gasket 11a is tightly squeezed between adjacent portions of the discharge spout and closure sleeve. Another modification of the dispenser 1 in forming the dispenser 1a is that a positioning bracket 12a may be permanently secured to the closure sleeve 6a as by a soldered or welded connection.

The discharge tubes 10 and 10a are of substantially uniform diameter usually intermediate the ends thereof and are heated, drawn out and broken at desired bore end diameters as they are made.

By positioning the discharge spout 3 eccentrically and at an angle to the center line of the container, the bracket 12 may be positioned for control at about this center line of the container, or Well offset from such center line, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2. The spout 3 may extend axially of the container 2 and may have the end of the tube 10 closed by any suitable means. The compact, neat discharge means are easily kept clean to aid in medicinal use of the dispenser 1.

It will be realized that the gasket 11 may be made of any suitable material, and a synthetic rubber, or rubberlike material inert to the contents of the dispenser 1 can be used for making such gasket. One particularly desirable type of material is the synthetic rubber sold under the name of neoprene.

From the foregoing, it is thought that a compact, durable type of a dispenser has been provided wherein a tight seal is provided for the dispenser and where the characteristics of the discharged fluid can be altered, as desired, from either a jet stream to a spray. Hence it is contended that the objects of the invention have been achieved.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my prior application Serial Number 398,354, filed December 15, 1953, now abandoned. While two complete embodiments of the invention have been disclosed herein, it will be appreciated that modification of these particular embodiments of the invention may be resorted to without departing from the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A dispenser for a volatile liquid comprising a con tainer having a threaded discharge spout extending therefrom, a closure sleeve having a tapped bore engaging said discharge spout and having a shoulder provided in the bore thereof, a discharge tube, resilient rubber-like gasket means carried by said discharge tube, said discharge tube being removably positioned in said closure sleeve with one end of said discharge sleeve protruding from said closure sleeve, said gasket means being completely confined intermediate the end of said discharge spout, and said shoulder and the outer walls of said discharge tube when said closure sleeve is still further engageable with said discharge spout, and closure means engaging the end of said discharge tube and carried by said sleeve, said gasket means having conically shaped ends and the means engaging such ends being shaped complementary thereto to squeeze said gasket means tightly onto said discharge tube.

2. A dispenser for a volatile liquid comprising a container, a threaded hollow discharge spout secured to and extending from said container, the bore of said discharge spout having an outwardly open shoulder therein, a closure sleeve having a tapped bore engaging said discharge spout and having a shoulder provided in the bore thereof, a discharge tube having an inner end seated on the shoulder in said discharge spout, resilient rubber-like gasket means carried by said discharge tube, said discharge tube being removably positioned in said closure sleeve with one end of said discharge sleeve protruding from said closure sleeve, said gasket means being completely confined intermediate the end of said discharge spout and said shoulder and the bore walls of said discharge tube, and closure means engaging the outer end of said discharge tube and carried by said sleeve.

3. A dispenser for a volatile liquid comprising a container having a threaded discharge spout extending therefrom, said discharge spout having a shoulder therein, a closure sleeve having a tapped bore engaging said discharge spout and having a shoulder provided in the bore thereof, a glass discharge tube abutted on said discharge spout shoulder, said discharge tube having different internal diameters at the different ends thereof, resilient rubber-like gasket means carried by said discharge tube, said discharge tube being removably and reversibly positioned in said closure sleeve with one end of said discharge sleeve protruding from said closure sleeve, said gasket means being completely confined intermediate the end of said discharge spout and said shoulder and the walls of said discharge tube when said closure sleeve is not limited in engaging action with said discharge spout, and closure means on said closure sleeve and engaging the end'of said discharge tube and urging it inwardly of said contamer.

4. A dispenser for a volatile liquid comprising a contaiuer having a threaded discharge spout extending therefrom, said discharge spout having a shoulder therein, a closure sleeve having a tapped bore engaging said discharge spout and having a shoulder provided in the bore thereof, a discharge tube abutted on said discharge spout shoulder, resilient rubber-like gasket means carried by said discharge tube, said discharge tube being positioned in and protruding from said closure sleeve, said gasket means being completely confined by said discharge spout and said closure sleeve, and closure means carried by said closure sleeve and engaging the end of. said discharge tube and urging it inwardly of said container, said closure means including a bracket secured to and extending from said closure sleeve, a closure lever pivotally secured to said bracket, and spring means engaging said closure lever to urge one portion thereof into sealing engagement with the protruding end of said discharge tube.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,739,226 Goss Dec. 10, 1929 1,983,977 Geiger Dec. 11, 1934 2,046,300 Benner June 30, 1936 2,400,231 Gebauer et a1. May 14, 1946 2,600,661 Kochner June 17, 1952 2,606,071 Vensel Aug. 5, 1952 

